Means for securing vessels to moorings.



PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904,

A. J. MAGLEAN.

MEANS FOR SECURING VESSELS TO MOORINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 30, 1904.

PATENT OFFI'CE.

ALEXANDER JAMES MACLEAN, OF NEW YORK, Y.

MEANS FOR SECURING VESSE LS TO MOORINGS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 768,765, dated. August 30, 1904.

Application filed January 13, 1904:. Serial No. 188,826. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, ALEXANDER JAMES MAC- LEAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Securing Vessels to Their Moorings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices for securing ferry-boats to the ends of bridges or landings wherein electromagnets are located either on the boat or on the bridge or landing and coactive armature provision is suitably disposed on the other correlative part.

The object of the present improvements is to so condition securing means of the character referred to that the electromagnetic field will be efticiently'concentrated on the armature provision and the weakening of the magnetic pull avoided.

Additionally said improvements admit of the relative shifting of the ends of the boat and slip, while the magnetic engagement is pre-- served and the sticking of the magnetic poles and armature provision after the magnets are deenergized effectively guarded against.

Figure 1 is a plan view of adjacent ends of a boat and slip or float, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same.

The boat illustrated in the figures represents a ferry-boat, as my invention is particularly adapted for'use with boats of this character, which make frequent landings. -The boat B has the usual circular end shape which is common in ferry-boats, and the end of the bridge S is correspondingly shaped to fit the end of the boat. It is of course to be understood that the particular shape of the curve of contact between the slip and the boat is not the essential thing. This may be any curve found desirable. In the end of the bridge S or the corresponding portion of the slip and beneath the floor thereof is mounted a series of electromagnets M, having their poles m extending outward tothe face of the slip that is, to the face which is in contact with the end of the boat when the boatis secured to the slip. Preferably the outer face of the slip is provided with heavy metal bars connecting similar poles of the electric magnets,

said bars preferably extending throughout I the length of the curvethat is, from one side of the bridge to the other. sponding face of the boat is provided with bars or plates D, of magnetic material, as iron, the same serving as armatures, which are attracted and held by the magnets when the latter are energized. The plate D may, if desired, serve as an armature for the series of magnets. If desired and for the purpose of lessening residual magnetism, brass rivets or bolts C may be inserted in the armature-plate D and project sufficiently to stop actual contact with the pole-plates A. The coils E of the electromagnets are connected in a circuit which is provided with a switch F, so that they may be energized or deenergized at will.

It is obvious that the position of the parts may be reversed by placing the electromagnets upon the boat and the armature upon the slip. This, however, is a mere variation and is essentially the same as the construction herein shown and falls within the scope of my invention.

The electromagnets are supposed to be energized when the boat is approaching the slip to make a landing. As soon as contact is made between the armature D and the magnetic plate Athe boat is held to the slip with great force. This, however, does not prevent the surfaces from sliding, as may be necessary in order to get the boat into its proper position, but does prevent the boat and slip from parting. WVhen it is desired to cast off, all that is necessary is to break the circuit which energizes the coils E of the electromagnets, whereupon the magnetic force which held the boat in place is terminated and the boat is free to depart.

By reason of this construction the danger to the deckhands of falling overboard or between the boat and slip at the time of landing is entirely obviated. This when everything is covered with ice, as often happens, isavery real danger and one which is entirely avoided where my invention is used.

I attach importance-to the fact that all the The corre electromagnet-poles of one sign are connected by a narrow horizontally-curvcd plate, while all the poles of the other sign are connected by a similar plate, the coaeting armature being of extended length and of a horizontal curvature concentric with that of the poleplates. The curved armature-plate is of a height that when said plate is in juxtaposition to the pole-plates it will be coincidently subject to the magnetic fields of both poleplates. By this means a strong magnetic attraction will be induced to intimately hold the boat in its slip. Furthermore, the intimate conformation of the pole and armature plates will permit the concentric movement of the one with respect to the other without interfering with the preservation of the electromagnetic engagement, thereby permitting the boat to partake of its customary minor lateral movements in coming to its final position in the slip after the engagement of the electromagnetic securing means. This concentric shifting capacity during engagement is promoted by the presence of the diamagnetic projections (J.

V hat 1 claim is- 1. The combination with a boat-slip and boat adapted therefor, of aseries of electromagnets having their poles connected by a narrow horizontally-curved iron plate and an insulated armature of corresponding horizontal curvature, said magnets with their connecting-plate and the said armature being relatively located on the boat and slip.

2. The combination with a boat-slip and boat adapted therefor, of a series of electromagnets presenting poles of opposite sign, a narrow horizontally-curved plate connecting the poles of one sign, and asecond narrow and horizontally-curved plate connecting the poles of opposite sign, together with an armature-plate of similar horizontal curvature, said magnets and their connecting-plates and the said armature-plate being relatively located on said boat and boat-slip respectively.

3. The combination with a boat-slip and boat adapted therefor, of a series of electromagnets presenting poles of opposite sign, a narrow horizontally-curved plate connecting the poles of one sign, and a second narrow horizontallycurved plate connecting the poles of the opp0- site sign, together with an armature-plate of similar curvature and provided with diamagnetic projections, said magnets and their connecting-plates and the armature-plates being relatively located on said boat and boat-slip respectively.

Signed at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, this 24th day of December, A. D. 1903.

' ALEXANDER JAMES MACLEAN. l/Vitnesses:

EMMA D. CHAPPELL,

ARTHUR F. oonwAnn. 

